CHOTTO, Marina

Kanisu (Snow Crab Salad)

Wood planks line one wall

Chotto delivers a needed izakaya-style restaurant to the Marina. Based on merely one visit in its initial opening weeks (and therefore limited), I find a welcoming space. The staff care and are informed about Japanese food. In a brief chat with the chef, he talks with gusto of traveling through Japan researching menu ideas. While no particular dish was an overwhelming standout, ‘chotto’ translates to a little bit or bite, and here you can experience an array of bites and flavors.

Cocktails sans hard liquor

Sans hard liquor license, they do well with shochu and sake cocktails, something I usually find a disappointment compared to a “real” cocktail. In lieu of a Manhattan, they created Tokyo Cocktail ($7) with aged shochu, sweet vermouth, bitters and a Luxardo cherry. It does well as a ‘boozier’ option. But best was a simple, fresh Cucumber Shochu Cocktail ($7 – also with mint or basil), ideal with the food. There’s plenty of sakes, wines and beers by the glass, carafe, pitcher or bottle.

Chicken Liver (Tori) Pate

Kinoko Tempura ($7) is mixed mushrooms perked up with a squeeze of lemon, and Kanisu ($8), a clean, if a little bland, salad of snow crab meat, yam potato, ginger, cucumber, and seaweed. Avocheezu ($8) suffers from a ‘cheesy’ name but is playfully reminiscent of a caterpillar roll in appearance with thin, alternating slices of avocado and fresh mozzarella under a soy wasabi drizzle.

Avocheezu

The usual Sashimi and Nigiri options were present ($5-11 per fish – two nigiri or five slices of sashimi), while Tori Pate ($9 – chicken liver mixed with onions, brandy, butter, thyme) is a rich spread over toasts with the necessary contrast of pickled onions and ginger root.

Chicken meatballs in egg yolk teriyaki

Grilled skewers held both high and low points. Buta Belly ($6) sure was a tough few pieces of usually silky pork belly.

Tsukune ($8), well-seasoned chicken meatballs dipped in an egg yolk resting in house teriyaki, were comforting and flavorful. Small but meaty Abara ($9) are fatty, miso-marinated baby pork ribs enlivened with apple soy.

PLUM PREVIEW DINNER at Il Cane Rosso

Daniel Patterson is one of our city’s true visionary chefs, willing to push the envelope, gifted with technique, but, yes, able to make it taste damn good. I’m a big fan of Coi, delight in Il Cane Rosso and try not to resent Oakland for getting both Bracina and Plum, his upcoming ventures.

Mushroom Dashi

Thankfully, Plum sneak preview dinners were held here in SF at Il Cane Rosso, every Monday during August. A simple, four-course menu was presented at $45 per person, representing what might be on offer once Plum rolls out. It’s a smart idea: try things out, get diner’s feedback, hone the menu… all before the restaurant opens.

Beet Salad

Of course, I am eagerly anticipating the bar menu from none other than Scott Beattie with bar manager Michael Lazar, co-author of Left Coast Libations. This is going to be a good one, folks.

Patterson, Il Cane Rosso chef Lauren Kiino and pastry chef Bill Corbett are behind the food. From the preview dinner perspective, I first noticed the menu’s straightforwardness: lamb stew, roasted beets, and the like. But the food belies a brazen spirit you won’t catch reading the menu, one married to understatement. Ask questions and you’ll find there’s much more to a dish than meets the eye.

Lamb Stew w/ "brainnaise"

What is labeled “potato chips” are russet potato strips and skins prepared like chicharrones: crispy, dusted with cayenne and fennel pollen. These would make incredible bar snacks. Roasted beets display radiant hues of gold and red, accented with onions, sorrel and the crunch of pistachio.

A pure, seemingly simple mushroom dashi/broth with yuba, tofu and greens, is contrasted by pickled radish. This dish is an excellent example of what I’ve seen from Patterson before: balanced flavors, impeccable technique but approachable, not playing any games.

Lamb stew with sunchokes and wheatberries deserves applause. When I found out what was in the dish, it seemed a shame not to list it on the menu, but it’s smart on the Plum crew’s part to encourage the average diner to order something they are comfortable with (lamb, for example), while gently expanding their horizons.

Huckleberries & goat cheese foam

The stew is tender chunks of lamb neck, shoulder and head, while accompanying grilled toast is covered in “brainnaise”, Patterson’s term for brain mayonnaise. Never fear, it tastes delicious with radicchio. You’d never know that mayo was creamy with lamb brain.

Dessert is fresh huckleberries accented with airy goat cheese foam on a ‘liquid’ graham cracker, followed by a grapefruit and wild fennel pate de fruit: a bright, tart finish.

The marriage is right: the food is straightforward and comforting, accessible to your general Bay Area diner, but simultaneously bold, unapologetic and lovingly prepared. This bodes well for Plum.

ELIZABETH FALKNER dessert menu at BUBBLE LOUNGE

Upside Down Cheesecake

Elizabeth Falkner is easily one of the widely acknowledged pastry greats in the US and chef of two SF restaurants, including Citizen Cake, which is moving to Fillmore Street, hopefully open by the beginning of July. Bubbly lover Falkner has created something sweet at Bubble Lounge, eager to take on creating desserts meant to pair with champagne/sparkling wine. She trained Bubble Lounge’s crew on preparing the menu which launched on 6/16.

At a sneak preview tasting of the entire menu with Falkner, I was impressed by the range of tastes covered in these five unique desserts, as well as their approachability. It gets even better when paired with Bubble Lounge Wine Director, Sabawun Kakar‘s fine champagne pairings (more on Kakar and Bubble Lounge in my 5/15 issue).

Falkner walks us through the menu

Falkner says, “I love the balance of acid, sweetness and richness these desserts offer and it makes pairing with champagne really fun. I want to wake up the palate with refreshing flavors, no overkill anywhere.” Her creative whimsy shows in the Spring menu:

• Lemon Drop
  • Ingredients: lemon curd, yogurt, blueberry sauce, maple crunch, champagne granita – bright, tart dessert in a glass
  • Pairing:  Fleury Carte Rouge – organic, biodynamic champagne, light, lovely, dry, but the only one that didn’t work for me with the dessert
• Upside Down Cheesecake: A little sweet in the big city
  • Ingredients: creamy cheesecake-like dessert topped with buttery graham crust and amarena cherries – almost savory, strong, silky cheese; the most unique item on the menu and one of my favorites
  • 

    Lemon Drop

    Pairing: Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs – lovely small producer; clean, with notes of herbal tea, tangy apple

• Olive Oil Madeleines
  • Ingredients: madeleine baked in brown butter and grassy olive oil, with olive oil ice cream, a Spring-fresh strawberry and fennel salad in rose vinaigrette; probably my favorite all around dessert for unique combination of savory/sweet salad with baked madeleine
  • Pairing: Pol Roger Brut – a gorgeous, flowery/toasty nose, dry with fruit and cream, bringing out the earthiness in the fennel; possibly my favorite pairing of the menu
• 

  Olive Oil Madeleines

  Ice Cream Sandwich

  • Ingredients: pizzelle wave cookies, layered with three sorbets/ice creams: chocolate (with a brilliant whiff of tobacco), passion fruit, pistachio
  • Pairing: Jean Milan Blanc de Blancs – acidic, fruity, with light balance of toast
• Dark Chocolate Pain Perdu
  • Ingredients: dark chocolate “French toast” in delicate orange-caramel sauce with genius pink peppercorn chantilly
  • Pairing: Bruno Paillard Brut – family run, small production; fresh fruit and spice

B3 … and The WINEMAKER’S SPEAKEASY
1152 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tue-Sun, 3pm-2am (wine happy hours: 3-6pm; 10pm-12am)

Rare, small lot wines at B3

I had the privilege weeks back of a sneak preview test dinner with friends at B3, a new project set to soft launch June 15 in the former Senses space on Valencia, which they are currently repainting and decorating in warm, neutral tones [as of early June, the owners have to postpone opening. The new date should be end of June but I will update this page with actual date once it is confirmed.]

I’m excited to give you the preview scoop as I have been following this concept since inception. Once they are fully up and running, you won’t see a similar wine list elsewhere.

Cheese & charcuterie platters

Wine guys, Johnny Gato and Ron Elder, invested personal passion into a hand-selected list of affordable local bottles difficult to procure (much less taste), from such small production winemakers, most do not even have a wine tasting facility at their wineries. Many are influenced by Old World technique with modern interpretations.

In the soft opening phase, selection will be limited, but I have seen (and tasted) what’s coming down the pike and it is good. Be patient with the initial launch as these wine lovers plan long term to offer a range of options from tasting pours to bottles and cases for consumption or take home, sold at un-inflated, retail prices. Just start talking to Gato and Elder and you’ll begin to discover all kinds of Wine Country gems you had no idea were there… these are not your typical California wines.

Decadent burgers with wine

Through Gato, who has worked at Moussy’s and Bouchon in Napa, I have discovered such incredible wineries as Napa’s Forlorn Hope, bittersweetly named after the term used to describe the front line of soldiers in a high-risk military operation. I’m smitten with their floral, bright ’08 La Gitana Torrontes, fabulously layered ’07 Nacre Semillion, and ’05 Gascony Cadets Petit Verdot. Then there’s Poem Cellars in Yountville, who’s wines are often sold out completely, particularly their light and spicy 2006 Tastevin Napa Valley Red (only 140 cases produced). Or Beaucanon’s ’07 Cabernet Franc, Y. Rousseau’s ’08 Russian River Valley Colombard and ’08 ‘Milady’ Mount Veeder Chardonnay, Peripolli’s ’06 Sauvignon Blanc. These are the kind of wines you’ll find here. Just ask Gato, who has followed these wineries closely in his years up in Napa, and he can tell you not only about the wine itself but stories behind the winemaker and winery, making each glass personal, fascinating.

B3LT Salad with bourbon brown sugar bacon & Point Reyes blue cheese

Though they’ll start off small with 10-15 bottles (under $25), the selection will continue to expand, evolving into what they call a Winemaker’s Speakeasy, with a wide range of under-the-radar tastes and bottles to take home at minimal mark-up.

Chef Kevin Ahajahnian is keeping it real and straightforward with cheese and charcuterie platters and burger and dog-themed menu. Wine will be the star, but if the test dinner I tried is any indication, you won’t suffer on the food front. The menu is developing since I was there, but I filled up on juicy, gourmet burgers, crispy, addictive fries, fresh, lush salads, overall hearty deliciousness.

It all bodes well for Valencia Street… and with a twice nightly happy hour, it’s going to be a casual wine bar where you can discover and fall in love with what you never knew was there.

SOCIAL KITCHEN & BREWERY, Inner Sunset

Sonoma Liberty Duck Breast

Social Kitchen & Brewery – This brand new brewery opened at the beginning of May in the Inner Sunset, adding a welcome member to the small but mighty collection of local brewers. The beers were created by Rich Higgins, President of the SF Brewers Guild and a certified cicerone.

Spicy Buffalo Wings

Watch out: opening week alone brought out what felt like the entire Sunset (a strong sign that this kind of place is highly desired), with people piled out onto the sidewalk waiting for tables (no reservations). A raucous din engulfs the modern, cavernous space. I recommend a table upstairs situated next to the brewing tanks, where the noise is not as overwhelming, and there’s a front row view over the bar.

Beef Short Rib in a puff pastry

And then, the beers ($3-5 a glass, in small and large sizes): a light Social Kolsch sports a bright lemon tart, with grassy, white pepper notes. Upon first visit, I liked the Rapscallion best, a Belgian-style golden ale with ginger, fig, pepper notes, and a bitter finish that mellows, evolving with food. I enjoyed L’Enfant Terrible, Belgian-style dark ale, rich and redolent of chocolate, but dry and crisp, unusual for this style of beer.

Addictive Sweet Potato Tempura

On the food tip, what could have gone better with beer than beer-battered Sweet Potato Tempura ($4 – more like breaded fries), with apple malt vinegar? The vinegar’s tart enlivened comforting sweet potato. Classic Buffalo Chicken Wings ($6) with celery and Maytag blue cheese sauce also took on the beers with success. The refreshing Kolsch is ideal when the intense heat of the Buffalo sauce kicks in. Salads, like the piquant Beer Lover’s Salad ($7) – strawberry, jicama, apple, and greens, in a toasted malt, apple-Kolsch vinaigrette – are small but fresh.

Next time (and once it’s open all day for mellower mid-afternoon lunches), I want to try their burger and rock cod sandwich. But I didn’t need anything else after sharing entrees with friends (out of five on the menu, priced $14-17).

Upstairs at Social Kitchen

Braised Beef Short Rib ($15) is tender under a flaky puff pastry, but came off a bit dry without much jus voer the beef and veggies. Still, the overall effect is heartwarming.  Rocky Jr. Chicken Breast ($15) is juicy in a ‘cannot fail’ caramelized onion/raisin/Altbier sauce, though I could have used a lot more of the delicious Anson Mills cheese grits the chicken sat atop of.  My table’s favorite was Sonoma Liberty Duck Breast ($17): seared, pinkish, over sweet potato duck confit hash (they had me there), with kumquats and blackberries, in L’Enfant Terrible beer jus.

There are kinks to work out and being one who doesn’t believe in long waits and concert-like chaos to eat, I prefer to return during “off” hours… at least for now, while it’s the hottest thing to hit Inner Sunset.

"Bangers & Mash" in a delectable duck jus I wanted to drink

LAFITTE

The magic of Lafitte

You may have been hearing about this brand new Embarcadero restaurant (I went opening week: 4/5) from Dissident Chef Russell Jackson, whose underground dinners have amassed a loyal following over the years. His long awaited restaurant is already getting buzz about the lack of an official menu (the chef changes menus and direction each day, not only depending on what is fresh but based on inspiration) and about a live web cam where you can watch Lafitte‘s cooking action.

They had me at 'anchovy onion tart'

DECOR: Perched on the Bay with Bay Bridge views, the magical, enclosed patio feels Parisian, while the lofty indoor space has seating front and center of the kitchen. Pirate symbols (in keeping with the Jean Lafitte moniker) are subtle. There’s a French revolution theme inherent in the flags but the overall feel is modern, clean, understated.

PHILOSOPHY: Jackson is (happily) not your typical chef. He’s willing to live with ambiguity, or rather, embrace adventure, and runs his team of cooks as a living organism, one that evolves daily and recreates itself along the way. There is so much freedom in this approach… and thus an even greater need for a strong lead to keep this ship steered in the right direction. This approach certainly will not please everyone – and leaves an obvious amount of room for variance. I can see how one meal here could be superior to another based on the whims of the kitchen that day. There’s a good chance we’ll see mixed reviews for that reason alone.

White Whiskey w/ egg white, kumquat, lemon, agave, bitters

DRINK: Shannon Tucker heads up the bar. Not only has she chosen to use high quality, small batch spirits (like one of my favorites, Death’s Door), but she, in the same spirit as Jackson, can whip up creative concoctions. On the drink menu (there is one of those), Green-Eyed Monster ($12) is a glowing green, herbaceous mix of Hendrick’s Gin, green chartreuse, jalapeno, lemon and sage. Refreshing ginger and smoke dominate in Zapatista ($12) with La Sombra Mezcal, sweet lime, fresh ginger, Bunderberg ginger beer.

Shannon came up with lovely cocktails on the spot for us: a frothy one with Death’s Door white whiskey, kumquat, lemon, agave, egg white, Fee Bros. aromatic bitters. With a Bangers & Mash dish, she paired a Pub Crawl: Old Speckled Hen beer with Antica Formula vermouth and blood orange juice.

The wine list offers only a handful by the glass, but bottle costs are reasonable ($26-148, hovering mostly in the $30-60 range) and conveniently arranged by profile (“Bright & Floral Reds” or “Crisp & Clean Whites”), representing an international selection as well as California wines.

Grilled sardines

FOOD: As the spirit is adventure, the approach, free flowing, I feel it almost best to let my photos do the talking as this isn’t an obviously categorized experience. I encourage you to go with an open mind, prepared for a limited menu of the day, with few, but delectable items (ranging from $8-28 – appetizers on the lower end, entrees in the $20′s). Better yet, ask Chef Jackson to cook you what he will – again, realizing this allows room for a wider variance.

As you succumb to the spirit of the kitchen that day, you may experience the extreme comfort of eggs and veggies, albeit a fried duck egg over butter-grilled asparagus. Or maybe it will be a plump pork sausage over a silky mound of mashed potatoes in rich duck jus… a playful take on “Bangers and Mash“. Vegetables show up in soups, anchovies on onion tarts, and dessert can hold a welcome touch of salt.

My initial, first dinner experience is that Chef Jackson and the Lafitte team deliver experimentation in the welcoming folds of comfort and freshness. I’m eager to see what shows up on my plate or in my glass when I return. A joyous way to dine and a unique addition to our city’s dining landscape.

Fried duck egg with asparagus grilled in butter

Front row cooking views

Foie Gras w/ julienned apples

Zapatista (left) and Green-Eyed Monster (right)

Vegetable soup & soft toasted bread

Caramel Sea Salt Chocolate Cake

The team at work

Lemon Meringue Tart

BAUME – Palo Alto Molecular Gastronomy

Minimalist presentation cheese plate: Swiss Tete de Moine comes in shaved curls that melt like velvet or buttery wings, while a fritter is oozing with the same cheese, accented with yuzu marmalade

As far as I’m concerned, there’s room for it all. I crave artistic, mind-blowing experimentation as much as I hunger for pure, simple comfort food. We excel in the latter in San Francisco but I don’t see enough of the former. There’s Coi and Daniel Patterson bringing us fine dining in ways we won’t see it done anywhere else. But where are the all-senses-engaged gastronomy temples like Chicago’s Alinea or the whimsical decadence of Jose Andres The Bazaar in LA (my review and photos coming next issue)?

"Baume-tini": sparkling sake with bursting passion-fruit lilikoi pearls

Thankfully, the Bay Area just gained a molecular gastronomy gem from Chef Bruno Chemel (formerly of Chez TJ in Mountain View), who opened Baume in a non-descript, ’70′s-looking Palo Alto building on California Street.

This is expensive, special occasion dining, but only weeks into opening, I’d already say it’s one of the more rewarding options for the price in all of the Bay Area. Service is well-orchestrated, timely and warm, each server informed and seemingly happy to be there.

In a simple but striking dining room of brightly elegant orange and warm browns, choose from five ($78), 10 ($108) or 15 courses ($158), plus more for wine pairings (I heard the table next to me ask to split a wine pairing and was delighted they accommodated – ideal for tasting but not wanting to go overboard).

Foie gras comes with apricot miso, a sliver of candied pineapple and a hoppy shot of house pineapple beer

As a guest of the restaurant last month, I was offered the 10-course meal and ready for whatever Chemel might serve. I hear he may slightly alter a dish each night, and, naturally changes the menu often. As an eater who’s about food first, I crave adventure and artistry… but never at the expense of taste or with pretension. Chemel manages to succeed on all fronts and I can imagine his menu only ripening with time.

The meal hit its highest note early with a 62 degree sous-vide egg (this type of a dish is also a highlight at Coi) served in a bowl with wild mushroom and Noilly Prat (French dry vermouth) foam. I closed my eyes, letting out a moan of delight at first silky bite. Paired with shots of fresh celery and lime juice with roasted rosemary stalks, it was the best course of the night.

Thoughtful wine pairings took it further… and at quite a range. It could be anything from a local 2008 Viognier from Jazz Cellars, to Blandy’s 10 year Malmsey Madeira with dessert. I especially savored two Chardonnays: first, an ’06 Collovray-Terrier “Vielles Vignes” Pouilly-Fuisse (mineral initially but after sitting there awhile, became buttery). Then, a 2007 Windy Oaks “One-Acre Estate” Chard from the Santa Cruz Mountains, with a mineral acidity reminiscent of white Burgundy wines.

I’ll share just some of the beauties of the meal here through my photos…

The piece de resistance: 62 degree egg with celery lime juice shots

Paper-thin nori-shoyu flatbread with tofu parsley spread and an aged balsamic "butter" so addictive I ate every drop

Striped bass over bouillabaisse gelee, topped with a transparent purple potato chip

Asparagus Salade in shallot vinaigrette - simple, gorgeous with Parmesan, edible flowers, creamy hollandaise pearls

Palate cleanser of lavender foam frozen with liquid nitrogen - nitrogen 'smoke' playfully expels from your mouth

Grass-fed filet is prepared sous-vide, completely dry yet miraculously juicy with orange vinaigrette and spring onion

A dessert extravaganza, from pastry chef Ryan Shelton, is an ode to the strawberry: mini donut with strawberry gelee; chocolate tarragon ganache and burnt almond “rocks’’, and my favorite: a dry strawberry ice cream soda with sorbet-like float